Audi’s Global Sales Reach 1.45 Million

Ingolstadt, Germany — The Ingolstadt-based carmaker has announced that it sold 1,455,100 vehicles around the world during 2012, a figure that is 11.7 percent higher than the previous year. The company says the year-over-year increase was its second highest in company history, only surpassed by the 2010-2011 transition.

“In 2012, Audi achieved new record totals in every region worldwide, including in Europe. We managed to buck the negative market trend and continued to grow there, extending our lead as the strongest premium brand,” says Luca de Meo, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Sales and Marketing, in a statement.

The Q3 was a particularly strong vehicle for Audi globally, despite 2012 being its first full year on the market. It sold 78,700 units of the compact SUV during 2012. Sales of the A6 Avant rose 38.9 percent to 63,100, helping to boost the company’s overall Europe sales to 739,000.

While sales in Europe remained tepid — particularly in Spain and Italy — the company experienced explosive growth in emerging markets like Russia and China. Sales rose 44.1 percent in Russia and 29.6 percent in China, in part driven by the fact that certain models are built in the area. As with many global automakers, the company is investing heavily in emerging markets to help pick up the slack in its home country and its neighbors.

Unites States sales were also strong, albeit not quite as vigorous as those in Russia. The company sold 139,310 cars throughout 2012, boosting its American presence to more than double from five years ago. U.S. consumers seemed particularly fond of the A6, A7 Sportback, Q7 and A8, combining for a sales increase of 39 percent.